Vacuum Sealer Home Appliance With Integrated Customizable Date Code Stamp

ABSTRACT

A vacuum sealer includes a housing having an upper platform and a lid pivotably attached thereto. A first heating plate is secured to one of the underside of the lid and the platform and an opposing, thermally insulating backing strip is secured to the other of the underside of the lid and the platform. The first heating plate and the backing strip heat seal a portion of a plastic bag positioned therebetween. A second heating plate is secured to one of the underside of the lid and the platform, and an opposing stamp wheel is rotatably mounted to the other of the underside of the lid and the platform. The stamp wheel has a plurality of raised characters spaced about a periphery thereof. The stamp wheel and the second heating plate heat stamp the raised characters facing the second heating plate onto a portion of a plastic bag positioned therebetween.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/529,592, titled “Vacuum Sealer Home Appliance withIntegrated Customizable Date Code Stamp”, filed on Jul. 7, 2017, theentire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to a vacuum sealer homeappliance and, more particularly, to a vacuum sealer with integrated,customizable heat stamping capability.

Vacuum sealers are small appliances, generally utilized to vacuum, i.e.evacuate air from, and heat seal plastic bags containing foodstuff forlonger term storage. Vacuum sealing foodstuff packaging provides manybenefits, with a particular advantage of preserving the freshness of thefoodstuff for a longer period of time than if the foodstuff wereotherwise stored while exposed to ambient air.

Despite the advantage of preserving the freshness of the foodstuff for alonger period of time, or because of the extended freshness, consumersget confused about the date on which the foodstuff contents were sealed,or, alternatively, identify a date by which to use, e.g., cook orconsume, the foodstuff contents. Currently, a user must manually writethe date onto the plastic bag, e.g., with a marker.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to manufacture a vacuum sealerhaving the capability to also stamp a date to the plastic bag.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Briefly stated, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to avacuum sealer including a housing having an upper platform. A lid ispivotably attached to the housing, and movable between a closedposition, covering the platform, and an open position, exposing theplatform. The platform defines a first cavity and the lid defines anopposing second cavity in an underside of the lid, the first cavity andthe second cavity being engaged in the closed position of the lid toform a sealed vacuum chamber therebetween. A pump is in fluidcommunication with the vacuum chamber to withdraw air from the vacuumchamber and create a vacuum therein, the sealed vacuum chamber beingconfigured to receive an open end of a plastic bag therebetween andwithdraw air therefrom via activation of the pump. A first heating plateis secured to one of the underside of the lid and the platform and anopposing, thermally insulating backing strip is secured to the other ofthe underside of the lid and the platform. The first heating plate andthe backing strip are configured to heat seal a portion of a plastic bagpositioned therebetween. A second heating plate is secured to one of theunderside of the lid and the platform, and an opposing at least oneselectively rotatable stamp wheel is rotatably mounted to the other ofthe underside of the lid and the platform. The at least one stamp wheelhas a plurality of raised characters spaced about a periphery thereof,and the at least one stamp wheel and the second heating plate areconfigured to stamp the raised characters facing the second heatingplate onto a portion of a plastic bag positioned therebetween.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a vacuum sealercomprising a housing having an upper platform and an internalcompartment configured to house a roll of plastic bag stock therein. Thecompartment has an opening for accessing the roll of plastic bag stocktherethrough. A door is pivotably mounted to the housing, the door beingpivotable between a closed position, covering the opening, and an openposition, enabling access to the compartment. The door includes acutting bracket on an interior face thereof, an elongate track removablymounted upon the cutting bracket, a cutting blade holder slidablymounted upon the track and a cutting blade assembly mounted to thecutting blade holder. The cutting blade holder cantilevers forward fromthe track and includes a blade bracket at a terminal end thereofreceiving the cutting blade assembly therein, such that the cuttingblade is spaced forwardly from the track. A lid is pivotably attached tothe housing, and movable between a closed position, covering theplatform, and an open position, exposing the platform. The platformdefines a first cavity and the lid defines an opposing second cavity inan underside of the lid, the first cavity and the second cavity beingengaged in the closed position of the lid to form a sealed vacuumchamber therebetween. A pump is in fluid communication with the vacuumchamber to withdraw air from the vacuum chamber and create a vacuumtherein, the sealed vacuum chamber being configured to receive an openend of a plastic bag therebetween and withdraw air therefrom viaactivation of the pump. A first heating plate is secured to one of theunderside of the lid and the platform, and an opposing, thermallyinsulating backing strip is secured to the other of the underside of thelid and the platform. The first heating plate and the backing strip areconfigured to heat seal a portion of a plastic bag positionedtherebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the disclosure will be better understoodwhen read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It should beunderstood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a vacuum sealeraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with a lid of thevacuum sealer in a closed position thereof;

FIG. 2 is a front and top perspective view of the vacuum sealer of FIG.1, with the lid in an open position thereof;

FIG. 3 is a rear and left side perspective view of an upper housing ofthe vacuum sealer of FIG. 1, with an underside of the upper housingremoved to show the internal components therein;

FIG. 4 is front, top and left side perspective view a door of the vacuumsealer of FIG. 1, having a cutting assembly on an inner face thereof;and

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the door and cutting assembly of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenienceonly and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “bottom,” “upper” and “top”designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Thewords “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “upwardly” and “downwardly” refer todirections toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center ofthe vacuum sealer, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with thepresent disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,”“an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should beread as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words notedabove, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

It should also be understood that the terms “about,” “approximately,”“generally,” “substantially” and like terms, used herein when referringto a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention,indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strictboundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefromthat are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references thatinclude a numerical parameter would include variations that, usingmathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g.,rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturingtolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate likeelements throughout, there is shown in FIGS. 1-5 a vacuum sealer,generally designated 10, for at least one of sealing and date stampingplastic bags (not shown) formed from a roll of bag stock 50 (as will bedescribed in further detail below). Generally, the vacuum sealer 10comprises an upper housing 12 and an underlying lower housing 14supporting the vacuum sealer 10 atop an underlying support surface,e.g., a countertop (not shown). The upper housing 12 and the lowerhousing 14 are secured together in a manner well understood by those ofordinary skill in the art, such as, for example, without limitation, viaa complementary friction fit, a snap fit, an adhesive connection,fasteners, combinations thereof, or the like.

A lid 16 at a top end of the upper housing 12 is movably attachedthereto, and pivotable between closed (FIG. 1) and open (FIGS. 2, 3)positions, as will be explained in further detail below. As shown bestin FIG. 2, the upper housing 12 defines a platform 20 that is covered bythe lid 16 when positioned in the closed position thereof and exposed,enabling access thereto, when the lid 16 is moved to the open position.The lid 16 is sized and shaped to generally correspond to the size andshape of the platform 20. As shown, the lid 16 is supported by at leastone arm 17 (two arms 17 in the illustrated embodiment proximate opposingleft and right sides of the lid 16) located at a rear end of the lid 16and pivotably attached to the upper housing 12. The at least one arm 17may include a torsion spring or the like, biasing the lid 16 into theopen position thereof. The lid 16 is selectively pivotable downward ontothe platform 20 into the closed position.

The platform 20 defines a first cavity 22 bordered by a first gasket 22a secured on the platform 20. In the illustrated embodiment, theplatform 20 is formed at an upper end of the upper housing 12, but thedisclosure is not so limited. As should be understood, the platform 20may be formed elsewhere on the vacuum sealer 10, such as, for example,without limitation, on a flange of the lower housing 14. The lid 16defines a second cavity 24 formed in an underside thereof and borderedby a second gasket 24 a secured to the underside of the lid 16. Thefirst gasket 22 a and the second gasket 24 a are sized, shaped andpositioned to sealingly, i.e., air-tightly, engage one another when thelid 16 is pivoted into the closed position thereof, such that the firstcavity 22 and the second cavity 24 form an airtight vacuum chamber 26therebetween. A vacuum pumping device 18 (FIG. 3), e.g., a pneumaticpump, disposed within the vacuum sealer 10, e.g., within the upperhousing 12, is in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber 26 in amanner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, e.g., viaan aperture (not shown) in the first cavity 22, to withdraw air out ofthe sealed vacuum chamber 26 and create a vacuum.

A lid handle 28 is mounted to the lid 16, e.g., to a front end of thelid 16, for a user to grasp and easily pivot the lid 16 between the openand closed positions, and, more importantly, to provide leverage forpressing the lid 16 down onto the platform 20 in the closed position toprovide the required airtight seal between the first and second gaskets22 a, 24 a. As shown best in FIG. 2, the lid 16 includes at least onelatching member 32 (two latching members 32 in the illustratedembodiment) projecting from the lid 16 and configured to catch/hook ontoa corresponding at least one latch (not shown) positioned in arespective at least one slot 34 (two slots 34 in the illustratedembodiment) in the platform 20 to fasten the lid 16 into the closedposition thereof. A release bar 33 is mounted to the upper housing 12,e.g., the platform 20, and operatively connected to the at least onelatch in a manner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.The release bar 33 is selectively actuatable to release the at least onelatch member 32 from the corresponding at least one latch, in order todisengage the lid 16 from the platform 20.

As should be understood, the platform 20 may alternatively include theat least one latching member 32 projecting therefrom and the lid 16 mayinclude the corresponding at least one slot 34 having a latch therein.The release bar 33 may also be mounted to the lid 16. As also should beunderstood, the handle 28 and the release bar 33 may be combined into asingle component. Alternatively, the lid 16 may be releasablyfastenable/lockable to the platform 20 via any of numerous differentmeans currently known or that later become known to those of ordinaryskill in the art.

A conventional first heating plate 30, well known by those of ordinaryskill in the art, is secured in/on the platform 20, adjacent, e.g., infront of, the first cavity 22. As should be understood, however, theheating plate 30 may be located elsewhere along the platform 20, or,alternatively, on the underside of the lid 16. As should be understood,the heating plate 30 includes a heating ribbon configured to heat upwhen electricity is applied thereto during a sealing operation to heatseal a bag. A corresponding backing strip/plate 31 is secured to theunderside of the lid 16, opposite the first heating plate 30. As shouldbe understood, the backing strip 31 may be formed of a thermalinsulator, e.g., silicone, to prevent the heat from being transferredfrom the first heating plate 30 to the lid 16 and also to assist in thesealing operation. As also should be understood, the backing strip 31may alternatively be located on the platform 20 opposite a heating plate30 on the underside of the lid 16.

Referring to FIG. 2, at least one manually adjustable stamp wheel/dial36 is rotatably mounted to the underside of the lid 16. In theillustrated embodiment, a set of manually adjustable stamp wheels 36 aremounted, including a month wheel 36 a, a day wheel 36 b and a year wheel36 c. Each wheel 36 a-36 c includes a plurality of raised charactersthereon, e.g., alphanumeric characters, spaced about the peripheralsurface of the wheel, in a manner well understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art, corresponding to months, days and years, respectively.Alternatively, each of the wheels 36 b and 36 c may include raisednumbers 1-9 spaced about the respective peripheral surfaces thereof, andmay be utilized by a user to indicate days or years. The stamp wheels 36are manually rotatable by a user to display a selected date, e.g., anexpiration, “use by” or “cook by” date. The disclosure is not solimited, however. The rotatable stamp wheels 36 may alternatively haveraised characters thereon corresponding to other text, numbers, symbols,combinations thereof, or the like. A second heating plate 38 is securedin/on the platform 20 opposite the stamp wheels 36. Similarly to thefirst heating plate 30, the second heating plate 38 includes a heatingribbon configured to heat up when electricity is applied thereto. Asshould be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the at leastone rotatable stamp wheel 36 may alternatively be mounted on theplatform 20 and the opposing second heating plate 38 may be may bemounted on the underside of the lid 16.

The vacuum sealer 10 further includes a user interface 40, which isoperatively connected to a controller 56 (FIG. 3) in a manner wellunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The controller 56 isoperatively connected with at least the first heating plate 30, thesecond heating plate 38 and the pumping device 18 to selectivelyenergize at least one of the first heating plate 30, the second heatingplate 38 and the pumping device 18 according to the selection made bythe user on the user interface 40.

As shown best in FIG. 1, the vacuum sealer 10 may further include aplastic roll compartment 42 housing and storing the roll of plastic bagstock 50 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, the plastic rollcompartment 42 is located within the lower housing 14. As shown, thebase of the plastic roll compartment 42 is generally arcuate/tubular inorder to accommodate/cradle the roll of plastic bag stock 50. As shouldbe understood, the bag stock 50 is formed having two opposing side edgesthat are factory sealed. A desired length of bag stock is cut off theroll (as will be explained in further detail below), such that the cutbag stock has two opposing sealed side edges, e.g., left and rightsides, and two opposing open ends.

The compartment 42 is accessible via a pivotable door 44 mounted to thelower housing 14 and movable between a closed position (FIG. 2),covering the compartment 42, and an open position (FIG. 1), enablingaccess to the roll of plastic bag stock 50. In the illustratedembodiment the door 44 is located at a front end of the lower housing14, but the disclosure is not so limited. The door 44 is pivotablymounted to the lower housing 14 from a bottom end of the door 44, in amanner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, such thatthe door 44 pivots outwardly (relative to the compartment 42) anddownwardly to open. As one non-limiting example, the door 44 may includeat least one hook 44 a (two hooks 44 a at opposing sides of the door 4in FIG. 4) projecting from the bottom end of the door 44 (relative tothe orientation of the door 44 while in the closed position) andhingedly attached to a base of the lower housing 14. Alternatively, asanother non-limiting example, the door 44 may be connected to the lowerhousing 14 via a pin connection. In the open position thereof (FIG. 1),the door 44 takes the configuration of a forwardly extending lip fromthe base of the lower housing 14, generally parallel with the base ofthe lower housing 14 and spanning at least the width of the roll ofplastic bag stock 50.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the door 44 includes a cutting bracket 48on an interior face thereof, and spanning substantially the entirelength of the door 44. The cutting bracket 48 may be integrally formedwith the door 44, or, alternatively, may be individually constructed andsecured to the interior face of the door 44. An elongate track 49 isremovably attached to the cutting bracket 48 and extends substantiallyalong the entire length of the cutting bracket 48. In the illustratedembodiment, the cutting bracket 48 includes a pair of latches 48 aprojecting toward the track 49 from opposing sides of the cuttingbracket 48, and the track 49 includes a corresponding pair ofdeflectable clips 49 a projecting toward the cutting bracket 48. Theclips 49 a latch onto the respective latches 48 a and are deflectable todisengage from the latches 48 a and separate the track 49 from thecutting bracket 48. As should be understood, however, the track 49 maybe removably attached to the elongate track 49 via numerous differentmeans, currently known or that later become known.

A cutting blade holder 52 is slidably mounted upon the track 49 in amanner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. As onenon-limiting example, the track 49 may define a front lip extendingproximate a top and along a front edge of the track 49 and a rear lipextending proximate a top and along a rear edge of the track thereof.The cutting blade holder 52 may include a portion complementarily shapedto wrap around the top end of the track 49 and snap into abutment withthe respective undersides of the front and rear lips of the track 49such that cutting blade holder 52 is manually slidable back and forthalong the track 49. As shown best in FIG. 4, the cutting blade holder 52cantilevers forward (i.e., away from the compartment 42) from the track49 and includes a blade bracket 52 a at a terminal end thereof having anopen base end to receive a downwardly facing cutting blade assembly 54.Accordingly, the cutting blade assembly 54 is spaced forwardly, i.e.,away from the compartment 42, from the track 49 and the cutting bracket48.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting bracket 48, the track 49 removablyattached thereto, and the cutting blade holder 52 slidably attached tothe track 49 are stowed away and hidden from view when the door 44 is inthe closed position. To access the roll of plastic bag stock 50, thedoor 44 is moved to the open position, exposing both the roll of plasticbag stock 50 as well as the cutting bracket 48, the track 49, and thecutting blade holder 52 (FIG. 1).

The first time the roll of plastic bag stock 50 is used, the track 49 isremoved from the cutting bracket 48 (for example, as explained above)and an open, free end of the roll of plastic bag stock 50 is pulled outand extended beyond the cutting bracket 48. The track 49 is re-attachedto the cutting bracket 48 such that roll of plastic bag stock 50 extendsthrough an open-ended slot 51 between the cutting bracket 48 and theunderside of the track 49. The free end of the roll of plastic bag stock50 is then pulled as desired to form a bag of the desired size. Thecutting blade holder 52 is then slid along the track 49 and thedownwardly facing cutting blade assembly 54 cuts through the roll ofplastic bag stock 50, creating a cut piece of bag stock having opposingopen ends.

Advantageously, the forward cantilevered extension of the cutting bladeholder 52 from the track 49 positions the cutting blade assembly 54forward from the cutting bracket 48 and the track 49. Thus, the cuttingblade assembly 54 cuts the plastic bag roll 50 at a location spacedforward from the cutting bracket 48 and the track 49. Consequently,after a length of the plastic bag is cut by the cutting blade assembly54, a new free end of the plastic bag roll 50 (which extends between thecutting bracket 48 and the track 49) remains exposed (i.e., extendingbeyond the cutting bracket 48 and the track 49 approximately to thecutting blade assembly 54) and can be easily grasped and pulled out to adesired length in preparation for the next cut.

After the cut piece of bag stock is obtained, the lid 16 is moved to theopen position thereof (if not already in the open position) and one ofthe open ends of the cut piece of bag stock is positioned atop the firstheating plate 30 and the lid 16 is thereafter closed. The user interface40 is actuated to initiate a “seal only” operation, whereby the firstheating plate 30 is energized to heat up for a prescribed time or to aprescribed temperature or combinations thereof and seal the open end ofthe cut piece of bag stock pressed between the first heating plate 30and the backing strip 31, thereby forming a plastic bag with oneremaining open end for receiving the item(s), e.g., foodstufftherethrough. The plastic bag is removed from the vacuum sealer 10 andthe item(s) is thereafter placed in the bag via the remaining open end.As should be understood, however, the vacuum sealer 10 may alternativelybe utilized with a separately obtained plastic bag (not formed from theroll of plastic bag stock 50) having one open end.

Thereafter, the lid 16 is once again moved to the open position thereof(FIG. 2) and the remaining open end of the plastic bag is positionedwithin the first cavity 22. The lid 16 is then pressed down to theclosed position thereof to abut, or latch onto, the platform 20. Sealedengagement of the second cavity 24 with the first cavity 22, via thefirst and second gaskets 22 a, 24 a, in the closed position of the lid16 creates the airtight vacuum chamber 26 around the open end of theplastic bag. The user interface 40 is actuated to initiate the “sealonly” operation or a “vacuum-and-seal” operation.

To create a vacuum within the plastic bag, the pumping device 18 isenergized (in a conventional manner well understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art) to draw out air from the plastic bag via the open endthereof and through the aperture within the vacuum chamber 26. To sealthe remaining open end of the plastic bag (after the removal of the airfrom the bag), the first heating plate 30 is then energized (in aconventional manner well understood by those of ordinary skill in theart) for a prescribed time or to a prescribed temperature orcombinations thereof and seal the portion of the plastic bag pressedbetween the first heating plate 30 and the backing strip 31.

Prior to moving the lid 16 into the closed position, a user may alsomanually rotate the respective stamp wheels 36 to display a desireddate, e.g., a “use by” date, and actuate the user interface 40 toinitiate a “heat stamping” operation (in addition to the vacuum and/orsealing operations or alone). Upon pressing the lid 16 into the closedposition thereof, the second heating plate 38 is energized, in a mannerwell understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, for a prescribedtime or to a prescribed temperature or combinations, to create anembossed (or engraved) heat stamp of the selection on the portion of theplastic bag pressed between the stamp wheels 36 and the second heatingplate 38.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiment(s) described above without departing from thebroad inventive concept thereof. As one example, the stamp wheel(s) 36may be positioned along the backing strip 31, such that the stamp isembossed along the plastic bag seal, thereby eliminating the secondheating plate 38. It is understood, therefore, that this disclosure isnot limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but it isintended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A vacuum sealer comprising: a housing having an upperplatform; a lid pivotably attached to the housing, and movable between aclosed position, covering the platform, and an open position, exposingthe platform; wherein the platform defines a first cavity and the liddefines an opposing second cavity in an underside of the lid, the firstcavity and the second cavity being engaged in the closed position of thelid to form a sealed vacuum chamber therebetween; a pump in fluidcommunication with the vacuum chamber to withdraw air from the vacuumchamber and create a vacuum therein, the sealed vacuum chamber beingconfigured to receive an open end of a plastic bag therebetween andwithdraw air therefrom via activation of the pump; a first heating platesecured to one of the underside of the lid and the platform; anopposing, thermally insulating backing strip secured to the other of theunderside of the lid and the platform, the first heating plate and thebacking strip being configured to heat seal a portion of a plastic bagpositioned therebetween; a second heating plate secured to one of theunderside of the lid and the platform; and an opposing at least oneselectively rotatable stamp wheel rotatably mounted to the other of theunderside of the lid and the platform, the at least one stamp wheelhaving a plurality of raised characters spaced about a peripherythereof, the at least one stamp wheel and the second heating plate beingconfigured to stamp the raised characters facing the second heatingplate onto a portion of a plastic bag positioned therebetween.
 2. Thevacuum sealer of claim 1, further comprising a first gasket secured onthe platform and bordering the first cavity and an opposing secondgasket secured to the underside of the lid and bordering the secondcavity, the first gasket engaging the second gasket in the closedposition of the lid to seal the vacuum chamber.
 3. The vacuum sealer ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one stamp wheel comprises a month wheel,wherein the raised characters thereon correspond to months of the year,a day wheel, wherein the raised characters thereon correspond to days ofthe month; and a year wheel, wherein the raised characters thereoncorrespond to years.
 4. The vacuum sealer of claim 1, wherein thehousing comprises a lower housing and an upper housing secured upon thelower housing, the upper housing defining the platform.
 5. The vacuumsealer of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an internal compartmentconfigured to house a roll of plastic bag stock therein, the compartmenthaving an opening for accessing the roll of plastic bag stocktherethrough and a door pivotably mounted to the housing, the door beingpivotable between a closed position, covering the opening, and an openposition, enabling access to the compartment.
 6. The vacuum sealer ofclaim 5, wherein the door includes a cutting bracket on an interior facethereof, an elongate track removably mounted upon the cutting bracket, acutting blade holder slidably mounted upon the track and a cutting bladeassembly mounted to the cutting blade holder.
 7. The vacuum sealer ofclaim 6, wherein the cutting bracket and the elongate track define anopen-ended slot therebetween configured to receive bag stocktherethrough.
 8. The vacuum sealer of claim 6, wherein the cutting bladeholder cantilevers forward from the track and includes a blade bracketat a terminal end thereof receiving the cutting blade assembly therein,such that the cutting blade is spaced forwardly from the track.
 9. Thevacuum sealer of claim 8, wherein the cutting blade assembly isconfigured to cut through bag stock during sliding along the track. 10.A vacuum sealer comprising: a housing having an upper platform and aninternal compartment configured to house a roll of plastic bag stocktherein, the compartment having an opening for accessing the roll ofplastic bag stock therethrough; a door pivotably mounted to the housing,the door being pivotable between a closed position, covering theopening, and an open position, enabling access to the compartment, thedoor including a cutting bracket on an interior face thereof, anelongate track removably mounted upon the cutting bracket, a cuttingblade holder slidably mounted upon the track and a cutting bladeassembly mounted to the cutting blade holder, wherein the cutting bladeholder cantilevers forward from the track and includes a blade bracketat a terminal end thereof receiving the cutting blade assembly therein,such that the cutting blade is spaced forwardly from the track; a lidpivotably attached to the housing, and movable between a closedposition, covering the platform, and an open position, exposing theplatform; wherein the platform defines a first cavity and the liddefines an opposing second cavity in an underside of the lid, the firstcavity and the second cavity being engaged in the closed position of thelid to form a sealed vacuum chamber therebetween; a pump in fluidcommunication with the vacuum chamber to withdraw air from the vacuumchamber and create a vacuum therein, the sealed vacuum chamber beingconfigured to receive an open end of a plastic bag therebetween andwithdraw air therefrom via activation of the pump; a first heating platesecured to one of the underside of the lid and the platform; and anopposing, thermally insulating backing strip secured to the other of theunderside of the lid and the platform, the first heating plate and thebacking strip being configured to heat seal a portion of a plastic bagpositioned therebetween.
 11. The vacuum sealer of claim 10, wherein thecutting bracket and the elongate track define an open-ended slottherebetween configured to receive bag stock therethrough.
 12. Thevacuum sealer of claim 10, wherein the cutting blade assembly isconfigured to cut through bag stock during sliding along the track. 13.The vacuum sealer of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a lowerhousing and an upper housing secured upon the lower housing, the lowerhousing defining the compartment therein, and the upper housing definingthe platform.
 14. The vacuum sealer of claim 13, further comprising: asecond heating plate secured to one of the underside of the lid and theplatform; and an opposing at least one selectively rotatable stamp wheelrotatably mounted to the other of the underside of the lid and theplatform, the at least one stamp wheel having a plurality of raisedcharacters spaced about a periphery thereof, the at least one stampwheel and the second heating plate being configured to stamp the raisedcharacters facing the second heating plate onto a portion of a plasticbag positioned therebetween.